Ghosts from the Past
by LunaGrey13
Summary: While cleaning out the attic at the Potter house Pacey and Joey stumble across a box full of letters from Joey's mother written to all the significant people in her life/
1. Chapter 1

Ghosts

Chapter 1

"Hey Potter, come give me a hand with these boxes, will ya?"

"I'm here, calm down." I say meeting Pacey halfway up the rickety ladder to the attic.

He hands me a stack of boxes and I carry them to the livingroom. I move a box marked "Baby Clothes" to the side and the box beneath it takes my breath away. I immediately recognize my mother's neat handwriting in black marker on the top. "For my girls" is written in her print over the top.

"Earth to Jo," I hear Pacey say from the doorway.

"Huh?" I ask stupidly.

"I said, "I'm about to carry these boxes outside, is there anything else you need to go out?'"

"Oh...no...that's it I think."

"What's that you got there Jo?" he asks gesturing toward the box sitting in front of me.

"It's from my mom."

"Well, are you going to open it?"

"Pace, I can't...will you?"

"Sure." He walk over, picks up the box, and sits down in the chair across from me.

I watch as he cuts the tape and lifts the lid.

"What's in there Pacey?"

"Letters...a lot of letter addressed to different people. Mostly you and Bessie."

I quickly cross the room and sit on the floor in front of the box.

"This one here...it has your name on it, Pacey." I notice as I'm looking through the box," And here's one for Dawson, and one for Mitch and Gale, there's even one addressed to my dad."

I can't believe it. There has been a box full of letters from my mother all this time. As we inventory the box I find many letters addressed to myself and Bessie for different events in our lives...marriages, births of our first children, my prom night, my graduation day, letters to our future husbands and to my suprise there are letters for Pacey and Dawson. The letter addressed to Gale and Mitch do not surprise me as much because I know Gale was my mother's best friend.

"Pacey..."

"Yeah..."

"Will you open this letter for me and read it to me? I just can't."

"Sure, Jo."

He slips his finger under the flap and gently opens the letter with "To my darling, Josephine. Open this letter first" written neatly on the front. He begins reading...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _My darling, Josephine,_

 _If you are reading this then you and your sister have finally cleaned out the attic and discovered the box of notes I have left for you. There are many letters for you and I want you to open them at the appropriate moments in your life and I hope you feel me there with you when you read them._

 _I was so angry when I came to the realization that I would not be around to watch you grow up, but after the anger passed I realized that I needed to leave you a peice of me and that's when I got the idea to write these letters._

 _I'm so sorry, I'm sorry that you had to watch me die and I'm sorry for the burden left on you and your sister. I know now that your father will never change, but I am thankful that you and Bessie have each other. I know it won't always be easy, but lean on each other and never take each other for granted._

 _Josephine, I love you so much. You and your sister are my greatest gifts and I am so blessed to have had the time I have had with you. You fill my heart with so much joy and I know you are going to do great things. Just remember that it is okay to ask for help when things get hard and it doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are smart._

 _I remember the day you came home so very upset with Pacey. There was a boy at school that had been picking on you and Pacey punched him in the face giving him a bloody nose. Dawson had told you to just ignore the boy, but Pacey, being Pacey, did the opposite and you were so angry with him. You just couldn't understand why Pacey thought it was okay for him to pick on you, but he would punch another boy for the same thing. I tried explaining it, but you just weren't hearing it._

 _I'm telling you, that boy loves you. You might not agree with me, but I see it. I see it in the way he picks at you and the way he defends you. I also know that Dawson loves you too but not the same way that Pacey does. Trust me, you'll see. You will come between those two and your friendships won't be the same, but if you are honest with each other things will work themselves out._

 _Well, sweetheart, this is all for this letter._

 _With all my love,_

 _Mom_

I feel the tears sliding down my face and to my great surprise I see a stray tear on Pacey's cheek. He quickly wipes it away and shoves the my letter at me.

"Pacey?"

"What?" He looks at me then looks at the letter with his name written on the front lying in his lap.

"Do you want me to read yours?"

He rubs his eyes and nods.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I open the envelope and slowly unfold the letter. I wipe my tears on the back of my sleeve and clear my throat. Before I begin I grab Pacey's hand and lead him to couch. We sit down next to each other and I begin...

 _Pacey,_

 _Oh sweet boy, I don't know where to begin. I don't know when you will get to read this letter, but no matter when you read this I have no doubts that everything I'm about to say will all still be true and then some._

 _You are such a special boy, you have the biggest heart that is so clearly visible when you let people in. I know it's hard. I know your parents aren't the greatest at showing affection especially to you. I am thankful that you have a man like Mitch Leery in your life to treat you the way a father should treat their son and I am so thankful that you will have a woman like Gale to give you a mother's love when I'm gone. I know you don't only come around for my blueberry muffins and I have cherished every moment I have shared with you. Gale and I have had many conversations about you, oh yes, Pacey we talk about you, my dear. We both know all too well what your home life is like. That's why there has never been a question of you being welcome in our homes. We love you as much as our own children._

 _It fills my heart with joy knowing that my daughter has friends like you and Dawson to help her through this journey called life. I can't give you any advice for anything that is going on in your life right now because I don't when you will get to read this, but I can tell you this...you are an amazing young man with a big heart, do not let anyone change you. Never take any moment for granted, enjoy every second because you don't know when it will be your last. Say "I love you" to the people that matter and say it often. And most of all, stay true to yourself. You are one of the good ones. Learn from your mistakes and always do your best. You're alot smarter than you think._

 _My fondest memory of you is the morning I woke up and discovered you cleaning out the flower beds in front on the house. Somehow you knew that I needed that. Joey was at Dawson's, Bessie was at a sleepover, and my husband was who knows where. I walked out of the porch and there you were, covered in dirt, pulling weeds out of my flower bed. I invited you inside for pancakes. We had a nice long chat about school and many other things. You never would tell me why exactly you felt compelled to clean out my flower beds, but I think I know the reason and it makes my heart smile._

 _Well, that's all for now my dear. There are more letters to come._

 _All my Love,_

 _Lillian_

"That was you, Pace? You cleaned out the flower beds." I ask shocked at this new information.


End file.
